Hay Magpies

Hay Magpies
Club information
Full name Hay Magpies Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s) Magpies
The Hay Magpies home ground

The Hay Magpies is a rugby league football club based in the town of Hay, in the western Riverina of New South Wales, Australia. Since 2007 the club has competed in Group 20 in South Western NSW, which is governed by the Country Rugby League (CRL). Prior to this the club had competed in Group 17. The Hay Magpies were the most successful team in the history of Group 17, winning 12 premierships. The team colours are black, white and silver and the club is named after the ubiquitous Australian magpie.

History of rugby league in Hay

Rugby league was first played in Hay during 1931, a tentative beginning in a township where the dominate football code was Australian Rules.  It wasn't until 1936 that Hay Rugby League Club was officially formed and matches scheduled on a more regular basis.  The core advocates of the new club were the young school-teacher Sam Willis, three publicans ‘Silver’ Sullivan, Dan Sutherland and Jim Dixon, and a road-contractor, Bill Jackson.  Dan Sutherland was elected first president.  The colours of maroon and white were chosen for Hay’s uniform (from Willis' old school team, Fort Street Boy's High).  Jim Dixon and another avid League supporter, Frank Walker, donated ornate silver trophies for an inter-town competition between Hay and the surrounding townships of Hillston, Merriwagga and Goolgowi.  The same trophies later became objects of contestation in the Group 20 competition.

Senior rugby league was suspended in the district during World War II.  In 1947 district clubs reformed into what was known as the Western Zone competition, comprising Hay, Darlington Point, Goolgowi, Carrathool and two teams from Hillston ('Town' and 'Country').  Hay won the premiership in 1950 under the coaching of ‘Johnno’ Johnston; playing in black and white jerseys they had a hard-fought 7-5 win over their arch-rivals Goolgowi.

In 1954 the CRL reshuffled the boundaries and formed the Group 20 competition comprising the Western Zone teams plus Ivanhoe, Deniliquin, Barellan and Coleambally.  In 1959 Hay won their first Group 17 title under the coaching of Laurie Foley.  The win was the first of a hat-trick of premierships for the Magpies and the beginning of the club's ‘golden’ era.[1]

The club is supported by a fanatical group of fans, who love their club and follow through thick and thin. The club is proud of its status as a family club, and its efforts to promote the sport of rugby league by staging its Annual Pie in the Sky matches which feature former NRL, State of Origin and Test players alongside the current Magpie team.

Players used in Pie in the Sky matches have been David Furner, Andrew McFadden, Wayne (Snoopy) Collins (2006 v Goolgowi); Gary Belcher and Darren Smith (2007 v Griffith Black and Whites); Mark Toooookey (2008 v TLU ) Simon Woolford, Shane (Billy) Millard and Ben Roarty (2009 v DPC).

Former Melbourne Storm premiership player Ben Roarty played the season with the Magpies in 2009 and was a member of the premiership winning side.

TEAM OF THE CENTURY

The Club named "The Little General", Neil John Nisbet as Magpie of the Century. The team of the century named was Fullback Alf Dancey, Wingers Philip Carver, Dean Whitehead, Centres Laurie Foley (Captain) and Colin Wright Five Eight Les Jackson, Half Back Neil John Nisbet, Lock Neil Scobie, Second row Michael Johnston and Michael Fitzpatrick, Props Billy Curtis Allen (Nugget) Schiller, Hooker Danny Byrnes, RESERVES - Geoff Snowden, Gary Crawford, Billy Poole, Fred Hobbs, Peter (Zi) Scott, John Curtis. Coach : Kevin Goldspink.

DEBUT SEASON IN GROUP 20 In 2011, the club gained full Group status with a First Grade, Reserve Grade, Under 18, Under 16 and League Tag combinations.

Former Welsh International prop (eleven caps) Gareth Price was appointed Captain/coach of the first grade team.[2]

The season started with the Magpies playing an all star team coached by Arthur Beetson, captained by Mal Meninga, and containing superstars Gary Belcher Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Marcus Bai, Matt Geyer, Ken Nagas, Andrew McFadden, Jason Croker, David Furner, Ben Roarty, Mark Tookey, Simon Woolford, Quentin Pongia and Shane Millard, with the match referee Bill Harrigan. Game won by All Stars 50-8 ( Ken Nagas 2, David Furner 2, Bradley Clyde, Matt Geyer, Simon Woolford, *Mitchell Rosser, * Setelo Tuimoala (Hay players*)tries, David Furner 4, Matt Geyer 2, Andrew McFadden goals) Hay Magpies 8 (Ryan Gash, Damien Kennedy tries) Crowd (estimated) 2500...FANTASTIC WEEKEND OF RUGBY LEAGUE [3]

GROUP 17 first-grade premierships

Group 20 reserve grade premiership

Group 20 Under 18 premiership

Group 20 LeagueTag premiership

Group 20 First Grade semi-final 2014.

First time in Club history - Coached by Phil Crosby. Defeated by Darlington Point/Coleambally and eliminated

Hay Magpies Rugby League Club Hall of Fame members

H S (Sam) Willis, J V (Johnno) Johnson, Allen (Nugget) Schiller, Bill Curtis, John Curtis, Neil-John Nisbet, Michael (Salty) Ireson, Robert Matthews, Derek Moriarty, Dean Whitehead, Colin Wright, Peter (Parra) Montgomery, Geoff Snowdon, Danny Byrnes, Laurie Foley and Michael Johnston, Ken Beissel, *Cecil Kem, *Wayne Dunbar, *Donald Payne, *Ron Gash, *Harold James (Jimmy) Little * inducted at Hay Magpies 80th Year Function, Hay War Memorial Hall Saturday April 16, 2016

(see Hay Magpies Website - www.haymagpies.leaguenet.com.au)

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, John, ‘The Magpies - tall tales and top football’, Rugby League Week, 26 March 1977.
  2. ↑ http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?client=7-2186-23531-0-0&sID=71257&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=14474331&sectionID=71257
  3. ↑ http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?client=7-2186-23531-212982-0&sID=71257&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=15054991

External links

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